Hefty fines for Sheffield fly-tippers

Tyres, building materials, tree branches and bin bags full of rubbish were among the items dumped by irresponsible fly-tippers in Sheffield.

Four people have been fined hundreds of pounds at the city’s magistrates’ court for the illegal deposit of waste.

Lionel Gelsthorpe, aged 60, of Greenland Drive, Darnall, was fined £100 and ordered to pay costs of more than £200 after dumping eight tyres on July 1 last year.

Prosecutor Paul Barber told magistrates there was video evidence of Gelsthorpe driving his Vauxhall Corsa to ATI Tyres on Senior Road, Darnall, removing eight tyres from the boot of the car, and dumping them on to the legitimate pile outside the tyre firm in an attempt to pass on to the company the cost of disposing them.

Marvin Wilson, 28, of Lichford Road, Heeley, was fined £100 and ordered to pay more than £270 in costs after unlawfully dumping waste on Rutland Road, Neepsend, on September 17 last year.

Wilson had dumped a number of black bin bags full of rubbish next to some wooden pallets.

Mr Barber said: “His black bin had been due to be emptied by the normal binmen but by the Friday it was heavy and overfull. They had refused to take it and Mr Wilson’s partner had been giving him some grief about it, so he took it upon himself to get rid of some excess waste.”

Lewis Wild, 25, of Ormond Road, Jordanthorpe, was fined £50 and ordered to pay costs of over £130 after he dumped some tree branches near Welberry Gardens on July 20 last year.

Mr Barber said: “A pensioner had some trees in his garden and he contacted Mr Wilson, who was then running a gardening business, to cut the overhanging branches of the trees for him.

“The majority of waste was taken away in a van but there is a complaint that tree branches have been dumped in the public space behind the property.”

Wild told magistrates: “Obviously I know I did wrong and I’m sorry.”

Mohammed Hussein, 31, of Victoria Street, Broomhall, was fined £100 and ordered to pay more than £300 in costs after his vehicle was used to dump waste at Beauchief Drive on May 9 last year. Although it appeared not to be Hussein who dumped the black bags of building waste, he is guilty in the eyes of the law because it was his vehicle which was used.

Hussein said: “I’m guilty of owning the car but it wasn’t me who did this. The people in my car denied any knowledge.”